Introduction
Today, climate change is a pressing issue worldwide. Any alterations to the climate affect global health since they influence many lives through tangible and intangible pathways. Although people are witnessing firsthand how climate change can be devastating, relevant agencies must devise risk mitigations due to heat wave effects, food insecurity, and extreme weather conditions hazardous to life.
Heat Wave Effects
Bearing in mind that heat wave effects are a life-threatening phenomenon that can cause massive destruction within a short duration, it is critical to promote public awareness of disaster management to minimize its effects in case of its occurrence. For instance, heat waves possess a lagging effect, triggering parasites, viruses, and microbes to thrive, harming the immune system and resistance, leading to increased death rates, and worsening respiratory and heart-related conditions (Shi, 2018, p. 3). Many premature deaths are climate-sensitive, and their incidence and prevalence may be attributed to heat wave climatic effects. Considering the intensity, heat waves can have terrible effects on vast populations, resulting in excessive deaths, and advanced research should be conducted to formulate mitigation measures for this adversity.
Food Insecurity
Acknowledging that food insecurity causes a variety of health issues, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, slow growth, and impaired cognitive functions in children due to malnutrition, there is an urgent need to shift to renewable sources of energy. Recent research has found that rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the environment can cause plants to lose minerals, such as protein, iron, and zinc, which people require to exist (McKeever, 2021, para. 20). Climate change, including desertification and global warming, is contributing to the severity and frequency of events leading to inadequate food production. Hence, climate alterations reduce the quantity of food due to drought while also making it less nutritious because of increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and relevant stakeholders should educate the public on the need to minimize the use of fossil fuels.
Extreme Weather Conditions
Considering that extreme weather conditions pose significant dangers to human life, especially mental health, resulting from shock due to tragic natural events, it is necessary to offer guidance on harmonizing their occurrences. For instance, peritraumatic encounters are closely associated with severe anxiety during and after a catastrophic event, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, which is likely to result in the emergence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Cianconi et al., 2020, p. 5). Most people subjected to natural disasters caused by climatic change face stress and substantial psychological disorders due to the loss of life and property. Therefore, the effects of life transitions generate many psychopathological reactions to hazardous incidents in the affected populations, which may require counseling by professionals.
Conclusion
Since climate change presents humanityโs most drastic health risks, it is critical to sustain the environment. Proper guidelines should be published on dealing with heat wave attacks. People also should fight food insecurity as a global disaster. Besides, extreme weather conditions should be debated universally. Thus, governments must increase preemptive cognizance to regulate climate and preserve health.
References
Cianconi, P., Betrรฒ, S., & Janiri, L. (2020). The impact of climate change on mental health: A systematic descriptive review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11(74), 1โ14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074
McKeever, A. (2021). Why climate change is still the greatest threat to human health. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-climate-change-is-still-the-greatest-threat-to-human-health
Shi, Z. (2018). Impact of climate change on the global environment and associated human health. Open Access Library Journal, 05(10), 1โ6. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104934